Are you starting to pay more attention to where your food comes from? Do you want to reduce your environmental impact while still eating healthy and delicious meals? It may be easier than you think.

Shop at Your Local Market

Start by making a conscious effort to buy local food. This will drastically lower your impact when it comes to the carbon emissions released during food transportation. Local food is often grown in small quantities using regenerative practices like organic farming, which prohibits the use of toxic pesticides and herbicides.

Farmer's markets are a wonderful source of high-quality local items, and they provide a priceless face-to-face experience. As you browse, you can get to know the people behind the products. Some market vendors even accept alternative methods of payment like bartering or food stamps, so don't let the higher costs hold you back. Remember, you're paying more so the friendly farmers who grew those greens or carrots will receive their fair share.

You'd be surprised at all of the incredible local goods you can find at the market––pottery, aged cheese, freshly baked bread, health products like CBD oil, natural soap, and dog treats are all common additions to the prominent vegetable stands!

Reduce Your Waste

Shockingly enough, approximately 40% of the food produced in the United States every year is wasted at some point along the supply chain. It typically ends up in the landfill, where it releases greenhouse gases and contributes to various forms of pollution. There are a few ways to divert and reduce your food waste so as to minimize your contributions to this problem.

Make sure you are only buying as much as you need––that way, you're not regularly tossing expired produce. When you have an abundance of items that need to be cooked soon, try hosting a bunch of your friends for a shared meal. Save your veggie scraps in the freezer to later make vegetable broth, or even better, compost them! You may be lucky enough to have a compost pickup option in your area; if not, you could try to start your own compost pile at home.

Check to see if your city has any food recovery operations. Food rescue programs are designed to redirect food from the landfill while it's still perfectly good to eat. Grocery stores often throw away items up to a week before they are totally expired, giving food recovery initiatives the chance to donate those items for free.

No matter what methods you take on, reducing your food waste is an excellent lifelong habit to adopt.

Grow Your Own Goodies

What's more local than a garden in your backyard or on your patio?! Growing your own herbs and vegetables is fun, rewarding, and not as difficult as it may seem.

Container plants like tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, and celery simply need well-drained soil that's full of nutrients, plus plenty of sunlight and water. Raised beds are the perfect solution in urban areas where the soil may not be of the highest caliber. If you have a green thumb and you want to dive in headfirst, join a nearby community garden or transform your living area into a fresh food paradise!

Decreasing your reliance on the industrial food system is the most sustainable practice you can possibly embrace. Whether you spend all of your money at the farmer's market, frequent a food recovery program, cultivate a thriving food forest on your property, or opt for some combination of all three, you will be elevating your consciousness around sustainable food choices. This will have a positive rippling effect on your health, your community's health, and the health of the planet.